Steam-superheater for locomotive and like tubular boilers.



J. G. ROBINSON.

STEAM SUPERHEATER FOR LOOOMOTIVB AND LIKE TUBULAR BOILERS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 23, 1912. 1,093,293. Patented Apr. 14, 19m

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STEAM SUPERHEATER FOR LOOOMOTIVE AND LIKE TUBULAR BOILERS.

' APPLICATION FILED M11123, 1912.

1,093,293. Patented Apr. 14, 1914.

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UMTEEE erasures PATENT @lihlfifl JOHN GEORGE ROBINSON, 0F MANCHESTER,ENGLAND.

STEAM-SUPERHEATEE FOR. LOCC MO'IIVE AND LIKE TUBULAR BOILERS.

To all whom it may concern: 1

Be it known that I, J oHx Grouse ROBIN- SON, a subject of the King otGreat Britain and Ireland, residing at lvlanchester, in the county ofLancaster, England, (whose postoflice address is Boothdale, Fair-field,Manchester, in the county of Lancaster, England,) have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in and Relating to Steam- Superheaters forLocomotive and like Tubular Boilers; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

This invention has reference to improvements in and relating to steamsuperheaters for locomotive and like tubular boilers.

The invention consists principally in providing a header havingsaturated and superheated steam compartments or chambers to which therespective ends of each of the superheating elements or steamcirculating pipes are connected, the construction and arrangements beingsuch that any single superheating element or steam circulating pipe canbe disconnected from the header and removed without in any waydisturbing or interfering with any of the remaining superheatingelements or circulating pipes. Each of the said steam circulating orsuperheating pipes extends longitudinally, as usual, into a smoke orfire tube in the upper part of the boiler there being a number of suchsmoke tubes (which may be as usual of enlarged size 2'. 6. larger thanthe ordinary fire tubes) arranged in transverse or horizontal andvertical rows each row of smoke tubes being preferably parallel, bothhorizontally and vertically, to the other row or rows of smoke tubes.Further the smoke box ends of each superheating element or steamcirculating pipe are bent upwardly and connected to the header,preferably by expanding them into the header, one end into the saturatedsteam compartment or chamber of the header and the other end into thesuperheated steam compartment or chamber, these ends being arranged onein front of the other in the same plane; and the upwardly bent ends ofthe superheater elements or steam circulating pipes, in each row of suchpipes, are also bent in such a way as to pass around or clear thesuperheating elements or steam circulating pipes of the other rows ofsuch pipes. Further according to this invention the above Specificationof Letters Patent.

Application filed March 23, 1912.

Patented Apr. first, 1914.

Serial No. 685,858.

mentioned header consists of a box, which may be made of cast steel, orother suitable material, divided into two parallel compartments orchambers by a suitable vertical partition or wall which is preferablymade integral with the header or box. Each of the said chamberspreferably extends through out the entire length of the header which ispreferably so constructed and arranged as to be mounted transversely inthe upper part "of the smoke box above the uppermost horizontal row ofsmoke or fire tubes. The chamber in the header adjacent to the smoke boxtube plate of the boiler is the saturated steam chamber, having asuitable steam inlet opening to which is connected the saturated steampipe from the steam dome of the boiler, the outer chamber, nearest thesmoke box door, being the superheated steam chamber which is providedwith suitable outlets for the superheated steam to which outlets areconnected the steam pipes leading to the cylinder valve chests of theengine. a

For the purpose of preventing the superheated steam being cooled bycoming in contact with one side of a wall of the header the other sideof which is in contact with saturated steam, the central longitudinaldividing wall or partition in the header may be formed hollow, 2'. e. achamber may be formed in said wall, and the lower side of the hollowspace or chamber be left open. Said chamber or space would preferablyextend throughout the length and height of the partition, its upper sideand ends being closed by webs preferably constituted by the metal of thecasting. The end walls of said space or chamber in the partition may beprovided with holes leading to the smoke box. If desired small crosswebs of metal might be provided at certain points in said chamber tostrengthen the casting, provided such webs are not so placed as tomaterially affect or impede the circulation of the smoke box gasesthrough said chamber.

The above mentioned box or header is provided with a removable cover orcovers, on the top, the said covers being secured on the header by meansof studs and nuts or other suitable means. One or more transversebridges or webs are provided in the box or header, for instance in theupper part of the header, and holes may be provided through the saidwebs or bridge pieces in line with the ends of any of the superheaterelements or steam circulating pipes that may be opposite to or in linewith the bridge piece so that the mandrel of the tool, for expandingthese tube ends into the header, may pass through the said holes.

The top of the above mentioned header or box preferably slopesdownwardly to each end of the header for a predetermined or desireddistance, for instance the downwardly sloping portion at each end of theheader may extend from the center or about the center of the opening towhich the steam pipe leading to the cylinder valve chest is connected,the intermediate or main portion of the top of the header being fiat orhorizontal. With this form of header there may be a separate cover foreach of the sloping ends of the header and another cover for theintermediate flat or horizontal portion of the header.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood and carriedinto effect I will describe it with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which,

4 Figure 1 is a front elevation, partly sectional, of one form of headeraccording to thisinvention and shows some of the steam superheaterelements or pipes connected to the said header. Fig. 2 is a plan, partlysectional, of the header shown in Fig.1. Fig. 3 is atransverse sectionon the line A, B Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrow. Fig. 1 isa front elevation of an alternative construction of header according tothis invention. Fig. 5 is a plan partly sectional, of the header shownin Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a transverse section on the line C, D Fig. 4:looking in the direction of the arrow.

Like reference numbers indicate corresponding parts in the severalfigures of the drawings.

Referring first to F igs. 1, 2 and 3, 1 is the header the bot-tom 2 ofwhich constitutes a tube plate into which the upwardly bent ends 3, 3and 3 of the superheater elements 4 of each of the horizontal rows ofsuch elements are expanded, suitable holes being drilled in the bottom 2of the header for receiving the ends of the said elements or pipes. 5are smoke or fire tubes of the boiler which in the example shown areenlarged fire tubes. 6 is a central longitudinal partition dividing theheader 1 into two chambers 7 and 8, 7 being the saturated steam Chitinher and 8 the superheated steam chamber. Formed on or suitably securedto the inner wall 9 of the header is a tubular extension 10 providedwith a flange 10 adapted to be bolted or otherwise suitably secured tothe flanged end of the usual wet steam pipe leading from the steam spaceor dome of the boiler to the smoke box. 11 and 11 are openings formed bytubular bosses or pro- '1 jections on the front wall 12 of the headerthe faces of the said tubular bosses being adapted to have secured tothem the usual flanges 13, 13 of the steam pipes to the engine cylindervalve chests, 14:, Fig. 3, indicating a portion of a steam pipe. Asshown the flanges 13, 13 are secured to the faces of the tubular bossescomprising the openings 11, 11 by means of studs 15 adapted to receivenuts on their outer ends. As shown in Fig. 3 a widened face of theflange 16 is provided at the top of the partition (3, and inwardlyprojecting flanges 1 7 and 18 are provided at the top of the rear andfront walls 9 and 12 respectively of the header. In the aforesaidflanges 16, 17'and 18 studs 19 are fixed with which correspondinglyspaced holes in the covers or cover plates 20, 21 and 22 are adapted toengage, the said covers being secured 011 top of the header, so as toclose the openings therein by means of suitable nuts on the outer endsof said studs.

As will be seen with reference to Fig. 2 the upwardly bent inlet andoutlet ends of each of the superheater elements or pipes, hereinbeforereferred to, are attached to the header one in front of the other,oneend of each element being in communication with the saturated steamchamber 7 of the header and the other end of the said element or pipe incommunication with the superheated steam chamber 8. Further it will beseen with reference to Fig. 1 that the upwardly bent ends 3, 3 and 3 ofthe respective superheater elements or rows of superheater elements areso bent as to be completely clear of any other element so that if it isdesired for any reason to remove any individual element this can be donewithout in any way interfering with any other element.

Although a particular form of bending of the upwardly bent ends 3, 3 and3 of the respective rows of superheater elements or pipes is shown inthe drawings it will be understood that these bends might be varied solong as the upwardly bent portions of the superheater elements or. pipesclear each other so as to permit of the removal of any individualelementor pipe without disturbing any other element or pipe.

23 indicates the opening or port in the back wall 9 of the headerthrough which saturated steam enters chamber 7 the said opening or port23 being a continuation of the passage way through the hereinbeforementioned tubular projection 1O.

24 and 25 indicate transverse bridge pieces or plates, preferably formedin'onewith the header casting, which are provided with studs 19 for thepurpose of securing the cover, and which provide jointing faces whichform part of the jointing faces on the top of the header for the covers20, 21 and 22.

As shown holes 26 and 27 may be provided respectively in the bridges 2tand25 w of the header which come underneath the number of elements, t.e. 12, is shown in the drawing.

Referring to Figs. 4:, 5 and 6 the construction of the header in thesefigures is substantially identical with that described with reference toFigs. 1, 2 and 3 but in this case there is provided a space 30 formingan insulating pocket or chamber in the partition or wall 6 which dividesthe header into the hereinbefore mentioned saturated and superheatedsteam chambers and 8. This insulating pocket or chamber 30 as shown inFig. 5, extends almost entirely throughout the length of the header 31being end walls of said pocket or chamber 30. Holes may, if desired, beprovided in the end walls 31 of the chamber 30 to provide an outletforthe smoke box gases from said chamber so that said gases circulate anddo not stagnate in said chamber.

By the provision of the above described chamber in the partition of theheader the fire gases in the smoke box are enabled to circulate on allsides of the superheated, and also of the saturated, steam-chamber ofthe header and the loss of heat due to the superheated steam comingintocontact with one side of a wall whose other side is in con tact withsaturated steam is prevented.

The header shown in Figs. 4c, 5 and 6 is arranged for use with 18superheater elements or pipes. Of course if desired an insulating pocketsuch as 30 may be provided in the header shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 whichis arranged for 24 elements. As shown there are three horizontal rows ofthe above mentioned enlarged fire or smoke tubes 5, and consequentlythree horizontal rows of superheating elements or steam circulatingpipes, although if desired the number of rows of smoke tubes andsuperheater elements might be varied. In the case of the superheaterelements constituting the upper row, situated in the upper row ofenlarged smoke tubes, the bent portions 3 of these elements take offfrom the longitudinal portions of the superheater pipe or element whichare uppermost in the enlarged smoke tube. In the case of the elementssituated in the intermediate and lower row of enlarged smoke tubes, theend of the element which receives the saturated steam takes ofi from oneof the upper longitudinal portions of the element and the bent end.which delivers superheated steam into the header takes off from one ofthe lower longitudinal portions of the said element. To insert theelements into the holes in the tube plate 2 of the header when saidheader is in position or to drive said elements out therefrom it isnecessary to force downwardly the smoke box ends of the elements to anextent equal to the thickness of the tube plate 2, plus the amount bywhich the ends of the said elements project above the said tube platewhen in position, and by taking off the bent ends 3 from the upper rowof ele ments in the manner described and shown provision is made forforcing downwardly the smoke box end of the element to the maximumpossible.

The above mentioned top covers 20, 21 and 22 are preferably mild steelplates machined 011 their inner faces, the top faces of the walls ofheader being also machined to insure a good joint, suitable joint makingmaterial being, if desired, placed between the machined faces of thecovers and walls of the header.

By the employment of a plurality of top covers for the header the timeand labor necessary for withdrawing and replacing any particular elementis considerably less than in the case where a single top cover or plateis fitted to the header as might be done without departing from the mainfeatures of the invention.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patentis 1. The combination, with a boiler having three fire-tubes arrangedone above another in substantially the same vertical plane, of a headerprovided with steam chambers, and superheater pipes arranged in thefiretubes and having upwardly projecting end portions which areoperatively connected to the said steam chambers, the end portions ofthe superheater pipes pertaining to the two lower fire-tubes beingcurved outwardly at their upper parts and inwardly at their lower partsand arranged with their intervening middle parts clear of thesuperheater pipes across which they extend, each superheater pipe beingremovable from its fire-tube without disturbing the remainingsuperheater pipes.

2. The combination, with a boiler pro vided with a smoke-box, andfire-tubes communicating therewith and arranged one above another insets of three; of a header secured in the smoke-box and arrangedhorizontally above the level of the fire-tubes and provided withchambers for saturated steam and superheated steam respectively,superheater pipes arranged in the upper fire-tube of each set and havingtheir projecting end portions operatively connected with the saidchambers and arranged substantially in the vertical plane of the axis ofthe upper firetube, and superheater pipes arranged in the middle andlower fire-tubes of each set and having their projecting end portionscurved outwardly at their upper parts and inwardly at their lower partsand arranged with their intervening middle parts clear of thesuperheater pipes across which they extend, their said upper parts beingoperatively connected with the said chambers and arranged upon oppositesides of the said vertical plane, so that each superheater element canbe removed and replaced independent of the others.

3. The combination, with a header provided with chambers for saturatedsteam and superheated steam arranged side by side longitudinally, saidchambers having hand openings and removable covers at their tops forgivin free access to the upper ends vof the superheater pipes, saidheader having also a chamber or pocket for hot air extending between theaforesaid chambers and being open atits bottom and closed at its endsand top; of superheater pipes having their upper ends secured to thebottoms of the said steam chambers.

In testimony whereof I aifiX my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN GEORGE ROBINSON. Witnesses:

G. B. SMITH, \V. WV. SIMPSONQ Copies of this patent may be obtained forfive cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington,D. G.

